Electrical Battery Switch Maintenance
Posted: April 8th, 2013, 10:39 am
If you are the owner of an older boat, this is for you.....
Yesterday afternoon around 2:00 p.m. I started what was going to be a quick-and-easy installation of a new hot wire and ground to the center console. (I was just adding a power port to the console for my spotlight.) I first opened up the chase and it was slam full of pine needles, fishing line and some black sticky grunge like mud mixed with hard grease.
After cleaning out the chase, I had to remove the battery switch from the stern wall in the bilge. After fetching my drill driver I went back to work backing out the screws. Well... one of the batteries was in the way of the last screw on the switch, so I pulled the obstructing battery out of the bilge. 
(the battery terminals and connections were clean) Once the last screw was removed I brought the switch out into the day light. It was a corroded mess. 
This "mess" triggered a new set of tasks of cleaning/cutting and replacing the old connectors with new connectors and cleaning the corrosion out of the existing battery cables that were "hidden" from view by the switch. (I guess I should start checking this area at least annually) There was soo much corrosion that it was a miracle the boat was even able to start, let alone run the electronics. Lesson learned.... check your batteries, any switches/connections in the bilge area. This could have ruined a fishing trip if I had let it go on without checking it. Finally finished the job last night after 9:00 p.m. I still feel it this morning....
If you have never done this to your boat, I would strongly suggest that you at least remove the switch to see how it looks behind the cover, and clean, or check, all your battery terminals and all your electronic connections in the stern. I am sure you don't want to pay for someone else to do this routine job for you. If you don't, it's only a matter of time before you get stranded, (by the experience loss of power to all your electronics), and/or end up getting towed back to the ramp, or your boat just won't start when your'e ready to go fishing.....
Just wanted to pass this advice along to you as we head into the "peak of our fishing year.
Yesterday afternoon around 2:00 p.m. I started what was going to be a quick-and-easy installation of a new hot wire and ground to the center console. (I was just adding a power port to the console for my spotlight.) I first opened up the chase and it was slam full of pine needles, fishing line and some black sticky grunge like mud mixed with hard grease.
After cleaning out the chase, I had to remove the battery switch from the stern wall in the bilge. After fetching my drill driver I went back to work backing out the screws. Well... one of the batteries was in the way of the last screw on the switch, so I pulled the obstructing battery out of the bilge. (the battery terminals and connections were clean) Once the last screw was removed I brought the switch out into the day light. It was a corroded mess. This "mess" triggered a new set of tasks of cleaning/cutting and replacing the old connectors with new connectors and cleaning the corrosion out of the existing battery cables that were "hidden" from view by the switch. (I guess I should start checking this area at least annually) There was soo much corrosion that it was a miracle the boat was even able to start, let alone run the electronics. Lesson learned.... check your batteries, any switches/connections in the bilge area. This could have ruined a fishing trip if I had let it go on without checking it. Finally finished the job last night after 9:00 p.m. I still feel it this morning....If you have never done this to your boat, I would strongly suggest that you at least remove the switch to see how it looks behind the cover, and clean, or check, all your battery terminals and all your electronic connections in the stern. I am sure you don't want to pay for someone else to do this routine job for you. If you don't, it's only a matter of time before you get stranded, (by the experience loss of power to all your electronics), and/or end up getting towed back to the ramp, or your boat just won't start when your'e ready to go fishing.....
Just wanted to pass this advice along to you as we head into the "peak of our fishing year.